


I Hope You Feel the Same

by hoddypeak



Category: Anne of Green Gables - L. M. Montgomery, Anne with an E (TV)
Genre: Christmas, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, Love Confessions, Season 3 Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-23
Updated: 2019-10-23
Packaged: 2020-12-31 15:31:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21148013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hoddypeak/pseuds/hoddypeak
Summary: Anne finally accepts what she feels for Gilbert and after building up the courage, she's ready to confess.The outcome?Definitely better than what she expected.SEASON 3 SPOILERS!!!





	I Hope You Feel the Same

**Author's Note:**

> This thingy takes place on Christmas because I feel like Anne needs like 6 months to figure out her feelings, and since the dance practice was in May-ish, Christmas fell perfectly into the timeline (also this allowed me to use my headcanon regarding what Anne would give Gilbert for Christmas this season.)
> 
> I wrote this thingy between 11 pm and 7 am last night and I have no regrets. This ship will be my doom and I ain't mad about it.
> 
> Anyway, time to get festive!!!!  
Enjoy!!!

Marilla had decided to invite Gilbert and Bash for Christmas supper, just like she had done last year. They had delightfully accepted the invitation, and they were expected to arrive any moment now.

Anne was excited. She hadn’t seen Gilbert in a few days as they both had been busy with their own lives, and she was quite keen to hear what he had been up to. School had ended two weeks ago, but Anne had made sure to pay a visit at Gilbert’s almost every other day to take care of Delphi and to sneak in a friendly conversation with him, helping him and Bash with other chores even though they never asked. She had come to realise how great a company Gilbert was to be around, and after that realisation her visits to his house became more frequent.

Not that she didn’t have a proper reason to visit him; she had promised to help with Delphi the best she could. After all, she was experienced in such tasks, so her helping them was a given.

Anne had noticed a change in the way she acted around Gilbert, and that change had scared her so much in the past. In fact, she had been so frustrated by what she felt that every time she had been face-to-face with Gilbert, she had stormed out of the place and spat out words of anger either to herself or some unfortunate soul that happened to be around her. Despite her numerous attempts at telling herself to get it together and act normal around him, those moments came out of nowhere and she could never prepare herself for them, and the same frustration filled her encounter after encounter.

At first she didn’t understand it and she wasn’t sure what was happening to her – it was still the same old Gilbert he had always been and nothing about him should’ve made Anne’s world spin just because they looked each other in the eyes for a few seconds – but now she had had enough time, several months of it to be exact, to think over everything, to consider what the inner somersaults and the breaths stuck in her throat meant, and now she was fairly certain she knew. 

She was fairly certain she had something one would call ‘romantical feelings’ for Gilbert.

Had she expected it? No, not even in her wildest imagination, which was very vast to begin with, could she have ever developed a thought that she could actually like Gilbert more than as a friend. Yet somehow, once she had figured it out, it hadn’t freaked her out the way she had expected. It had felt relieving more than anything else to finally know what the emotional storm inside of her meant.

It was nearly a month ago that she had realised it, and ever since she had been carefully studying Gilbert to see whether there were any signs that would reveal what he thought about her. She had read a lot about love, but in her books love was always described in such a grand and overwhelming way, she realised they weren’t something she could use for guidance in real life. She would have to find the answer to her questions all by herself, and no pages of any book could help her now.

Anne was in the parlour when she caught a glimpse of Gilbert, Bash and Delphi walking on their front yard towards the house. She got so excited that she nearly ran into the Christmas tree that they had set up a couple days ago. Thankfully Marilla wasn’t around to see that, as having her lecture about Anne needing to learn how to use her pair of eyes wasn’t on the list of things that were going to lift up her spirits. 

“Marilla!” she called her. “They’re here!”

She heard mumbling from the kitchen in the midst of the clattering of some pots and pans. In a heartbeat, Marilla appeared in the hall, wiping her hands on her apron, and opened the door before Gilbert or Bash knocked. 

“Merry Christmas,” said Marilla’s voice.

Anne heard Gilbert and Bash reply, but she couldn’t catch the words. She rushed to the hall to deliver her greetings, her heart beating unusually fast and in uneven patterns. As she reached the front door, their guests were already inside, taking their coats off. Marilla took Delphi from Bash and she instantly became very invested in a conversation with the baby girl, making her way back to the kitchen. Anne followed her with her eyes, but once the duo was out of sight, she turned to look at Gilbert and Bash. Well, actually her eyes refused to move from Gilbert once she had landed them on him, and it seemed as though Gilbert was having a similar problem, for they both just stared at each other silently with warm smiles on their faces. 

Even in the dim light that came from the candles in the hall, he was beautiful. His smile made his face look incredibly soft and caring, like he had enough love to spare for the entire world. And to think he was looking at _her_ while wearing such expression on his face…

The somersaults were back. 

They both snapped back to reality when Bash cleared his throat next to them. Anne turned to look at Bash who was smiling amusedly at them.

“Mer–“ she began but her voice cracked so she cleared her throat. “Merry Christmas, Bash.”

“Merry Christmas, Anne,” he replied, holding back laughter and shaking his head. With that he made his way to the parlour where Matthew had already situated himself, leaving her and Gilbert alone in the hall.

Anne felt like she was supposed to say something. She hadn’t even wished Gilbert a merry Christmas. And there was also that one other thing that was haunting her at the back of her mind and she needed answers to tonight. But how was she ever going to find the courage to ask when even saying something as basic as ‘hi’ felt like a great challenge. She wasn’t used to being this nervous around Gilbert. 

“Hi, Anne,” Gilbert said, breaking the silence that had lasted a few seconds. “Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas,” she breathed out, hoping it sounded normal. “Should we join the others in the parlour?”

He just nodded and followed her lead to the room with the beautiful Christmas tree. Bash was looking at the books on the shelves while talking to Matthew who was mostly just listening and making some noise to let Bash now he was still there. Anne and Gilbert sat on the couch, and it could’ve been just her imagination, but it seemed like Gilbert had made sure to sit as close to her as possible. 

Her stomach made yet another somersault.  
It was going to be a long evening.

The Christmas supper was delicious as expected. Marilla had once again exceeded in her cooking and Bash couldn’t stop giving her praise, causing Marilla to get all embarrassed by the burst of gratitude. The relaxing atmosphere around the table had also calmed Anne’s mind, and she was now able to hold a proper conversation with Gilbert without feeling like her voice was going to fail her. However, the supper was over and there was no reason for Gilbert, Bash and Delphi to stay for much longer, so Anne needed to act. She wasn’t sure she could live another day without knowing how much Gilbert liked her. 

“Gilbert,” she said in a quiet voice so that no one else would hear her. The others were standing up from their chairs, Bash still thanking and praising Marilla for the dinner, so they weren’t really paying attention to them. Anne wanted to be extra sure nevertheless.

“Yes?” he asked and raised his other eyebrow in a playful way.

“I have something for you. A Christmas present. But it’s outside. In the barn actually, I was working on it there last night. Would you mind if we took a walk?”

Gilbert’s face became a bit more serious and for a moment Anne had a wild thought that he sensed what was going to happen. He still kept that gorgeous smile of his as he said: “I’d love to.”

They took their coats off the hangers and before exiting the house, Anne let Marilla know they’d be outside but be right back. 

It was already dark outside and it was hard to see anything that was farther than the tip of their noses. Thankfully the snow had collected some light in the daytime and it was now glowing softly, showing them their way to the barn. It was snowing and the frost was biting their cheeks slightly. Anne thought it was the perfect Christmas weather.

She asked Gilbert to wait outside of the barn as she unlocked the door. She took the oil lamp and put it on so she could ascend the ladder to the hayloft and have some light with her as she located the present. She knew exactly where it was, but she had buried it under some hay to protect it from the below zero weather. 

Soon enough she had the present in her hand and she was descending the ladder. Gilbert was waiting for her precisely where she had left him. Anne couldn’t see his face because of the darkness, but she could only guess that he was smiling. She unlit the oil lamp and left it in the barn as she closed the door.

“I didn’t have anything to wrap it with, and I think it has some hay inside, but here,“ she began, lifting the present up in her hands. Gilbert looked down at it curiously. “I’ve taken notice that you really like the cookbook I made for Delphi, so I thought I’d make something similar for you. I collected as many medical articles about medicine, discoveries and treatments as I could and they’re all in this book, hoping it will be helpful for you.”

Anne gave the book to Gilbert who took it in his own hands and stared at it with a surprised look. He opened it at a random page, unable to read it due to the lack of light around them. He looked through several pages, and when he finally looked up, he was happy and he smiled softly at Anne. “This is incredible. Thank you, Anne. Putting this together must have taken you forever.”

Warmth filled Anne’s body, and she couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across her cheeks. She was beyond relieved to have made Gilbert a gift he liked. 

“It did take a while, but it was worth it if you like it,” she replied happily.

“Like it? I love it, it’s amazing.”

He loved it.

Loved.

Anne inhaled sharply upon realisation as to what she was to do next. It might ruin their friendship. She might ruin this moment of bliss with her words. She still didn’t know if Gilbert liked her as much as she liked him. It was always nice to toy with the idea, but she had never dared to make herself believe it because she didn’t want to seem like she was full of herself, not even in her own head. 

But the not knowing was making her explode, and she needed to act.

“Gilbert,” she said in a shaky voice. “There’s something I need to tell you. It may destroy everything we have together, but I am ready to take the risk.”

His smile fell. The happiness in his eyes was replaced by confusion and fear. “Yes?” he said uncertainly and didn’t go on. 

Anne closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She looked up at Gilbert as she spoke: “I have been thinking a lot lately about us and how we’ve been spending a great deal of time together. Of course most of it is because of Delphi, and I am more than happy to help you and Bash the best I can, but I’ve come to realise there’s been something bigger at work within me that I didn’t understand until lately. At first I ignored it because I wasn’t ready to admit it to myself, but I can no longer pretend that what I feel is not there because it is.”

There was a silence between them. Gilbert was slowly taking in her words, measuring them and figuring out the meaning behind them. Bit by bit his concerned face transformed into a wide smile that showed his front teeth.

“So you mean to say…?” he asked thoughtfully, but his face was enough to tell Anne that he could already guess it.

“I mean to say that I really like you, Gilbert Blythe. I like you very much, more than as a friend,” she said.

There. The confession was officially out and she could never take it back. The fear that was dwelling inside her started to swell and the scariest of thoughts ran through her mind. What if Gilbert was going to laugh at her, or run away, or tell her she was out of her right mind? 

Why was he just staring at her with that grin on his face? Why wasn’t he reacting?

“Can you please say something? You can just say you don’t like me, this silence is scaring me,” she said carefully, her voice a bit shaky again. 

It was as though those words sent Gilbert back to earth. He shook his head slightly before he spoke: “Not like you, are you kidding me? Anne, I’ve been gone for you since – I don’t know, the moment you smacked me over the head with your slate?”

Anne blinked and her heart skipped a couple beats. “Really?” she asked in surprise. 

Gilbert nodded and let out a chuckle. “Yep, and ever since that dance practice back in May I have known that there is no one else for me out there.”

“Oh, Gilbert,” she said softly, unable to say anything else. 

He reached out his other hand, hesitating for a moment before placing it on Anne’s frostbitten cheek, gently stroking it with his thumb. They both smiled at each other, neither really believing what just happened.

It was as though there was a magnet between them, pulling them closer and closer to one another. Before Anne realised just how close she was to Gilbert, their heads were just inches apart. She could feel his breath against her skin. A tingling sensation washed over her entire body, and she felt a need to close the tiny distance between them. 

Gilbert was the one to act first, though. Keeping his hand on Anne’s cheek, he gently claimed her lips. Anne froze for a brief second before relaxing into the contact and closing her eyes, responding to the kiss. 

It was beyond everything she had imagined her first kiss to be like. She never thought she would be filled with such a warm feeling, or how happy it would make her feel, or how soft Gilbert’s lips would feel against hers. Neither had she expected it to be so much better than every kiss she had read about in her books or written in her tragical romance stories. 

When they pulled away, she could still feel the ghost of Gilbert’s lips on hers. She locked her eyes with his and both their mouths curled into happy smiles.

The night had taken the best possible turn Anne had dared to imagine, and she couldn’t be happier about that.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it! :)
> 
> If you read this story, it would be highly appreciated if you let me know your thoughts. Of course you don't have to do it, but it would make me so happy to hear what people think of it <3
> 
> Let's hope S3E6 will satisfy our weekly Shirbert needs. 
> 
> Have a great day! <3


End file.
